4 Ways Artie Shows Quinn He Loves Her
by StrawberryPajamas
Summary: Just four fluffy little oneshots about what Quinn really means to Artie. Ranges from pre-Pilot all the way through Sectionals


**A/N: I am sad to inform you that I have decided not to continue my rachel/puck story My Life is a Musical. I have been sailing away from the good ship Puckleberry for quite some time now, and I finally decided to just give it up. I apologize to all those who have been reading- you guys were really awesome throughout, so thank you for that.**

**Rest assured, if I ever feel the need to write a puck/rachel fic again, I will most definitely turn to my unfinished saga for fulfillment.**

**But, even though I don't ship that particular couple anymore, it doesn't mean I have given up on glee! Nosiree, I still love the show, and a new pairing, with all my heart. That pairing being Quartie:) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or it's affiliates.

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**I.**

It was Quinn Fabray's first day as a sophomore at William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. She stood in the hallway, in full Cheerio garb, next to her locker with Santana, waiting for class to start. Santana took this opportunity to show her best friend how to flirt..

"It's easy," Santana had whispered to her, giving a small wink. Several football players were milling around behind the two Cheerios, giving them interested looks out of the corner of their eyes. "All you have to do is 'drop' a pencil on the floor-" she casually tossed a pencil on the ground in front of her.

"-And pick it up."

Santana made to grab the pencil, slowly and seductively leaning over so as to show off her perky butt to the group of guys behind her. Several of the guys gave each other wide-eyed looks, high-fiving each other and whispering excitedly amongst themselves upon being given this show. Santana straightened up, a satisfied smirk on her pretty face.

"Now it's your turn."

Santana handed Quinn the pencil, but Quinn didn't take it. Her face showed hesitancy and nervousness. She really didn't want to bend over in her skirt for all those guys. What if a teacher walked by? What if the entire football team thought she was easy? She really only had her sights set on one guy in particular: Finn Hudson. He was sweet and thoughtful and really cute; also he seemed to really like her too. But what if he didn't like girls who flirted so openly?

Quinn stuttered. "I... r-really don't..."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Ugh. God, Quinn, don't be such a prude!" she threw the pencil on the ground, in the middle of the hallway, and turned Quinn by the shoulders to face it.

"Now- go over there, pick up the pencil, and show those boys what your mama gave you."

With a little push from Santana, Quinn shuffled over slowly to the pencil. She nervously looked over by the guys, who were unashamedly staring at her with interest. Quinn turned back around, looked down at the pencil, and sucked in a breath...

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand reached over and plucked the pencil off the ground, sparing Quinn from showing off her panties to the entire student body.

The person who had picked up her pencil for her was Artie Abrams, that wheelchair kid she had met in freshmen year. He had a small, crooked smile on his face as he handed the pencil over to her.

"You dropped this." he said simply. Quinn took it with mild surprise.

The noises of disappointment coming from the jocks and Cheerio were audible over the sound of people rushing this way and that to class. Santana moved up next to Quinn, staring down at the boy in the wheelchair with her arms crossed over her chest.

"We _know_ she dropped it, gimp." she yanked the pencil from Quinn's fingers. "That was the _point_." she rolled her eyes, and Quinn looked down, biting her lip.

"Come on. Let's get outta here." Santana whispered into her friend's ear. She gave Artie one last dirty look before walking back to her locker.

Quinn and Artie just stood there, in the middle of the hallway, silent. Quinn looked at him, smiling slightly. It was her small way of saying 'Thanks', which Artie accepted gratefully.

Her smile faded as she awkwardly began to turn away, back to her locker. She knew if she was seen with Artie for more than ten seconds, it could seriously affect her reputation.

"Oh, by the way..."

Quinn looked around at him, curious.

Artie wheeled closer to her and whispered, so the football players nearby wouldn't hear. "...Even though we may act we like it, we really don't like it when girls tease us like that. It's too cryptic, like being sent mixed messages."

Quinn stared at him, and he smiled slightly up at her.

"Just try talking to us. Show us you're interested. I guarantee, that will work better than bending over in a skirt."

Quinn just stood there, staring down at him. Artie just looked innocently up the cheerleader. They were silent for a few awkward seconds, and Artie finally looked down.

"All-right. I'll just get out of your hair, then..." He mumbled. He turned his chair around, and began to roll away.

"Wait." Quinn finally spoke up.

Artie looked around, and noticed the blonde glancing around her shoulder to the football players. Finn Hudson had joined the group, and he was smiling shyly over at her. She smiled back before turning back to the boy in the wheelchair.

"Thank you." she mouthed.

Artie smiled before turning back around and wheeling away.

**II.**

Artie wheeled his way through the empty halls of McKinley High School. He was alone, and waiting for the nurse who was meant to pick him up today in the handicap van. She was late, as usual, and Artie felt bored as he wheeled around, looking for something to do.

As he passed the music room, he thought he heard someone inside. He wheeled closer and pushed open the door slightly.

Quinn was sitting on the piano bench. Crying.

"Quinn?" Artie said softly, entering the room. Quinn jumped slightly, her tear-stained face looking up to notice the boy in the wheelchair over by the door. She sniffled, wiping a tear away from her eye.

"Oh... hey Artie." She mumbled, discreetly wiping away any hint of moisture from her face. She gulped slightly, turning away.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, coming closer to her. He stopped in front of the piano, his eyes never leaving her sad face.

Quinn looked over at her fellow glee club member, biting her lip. How could she tell Artie, when she hadn't even told _Finn_ yet, that she was pregnant? She couldn't, and she could most definitely couldn't tell Artie that Finn wasn't even the father. Quinn just let another tear or two slip down her face.

"It's complicated." she whispered eventually, looking down to her lap with her tear-filled eyes. Her Cheerios uniform looked like a red and white watery puddle.

Artie didn't say anything. He just sat in silence for a minute before finally pushing his wheelchair around so it was set next to Quinn. She didn't look up.

"Well..." Artie mumbled thoughtfully, and Quinn finally glanced up at him. "If you can't tell me, maybe you can just say what you're feeling..." Artie looked up at her, and the cheerleader just stared at him. "...So I can help you out. As your friend."

He looked at her expectantly, and Quinn looked down at her lap again.

"I feel..." she began, thinking. She then gave a long, shaky sigh, closing her eyes. "... I feel like my life is over." she admitted.

After the words left her lips, Quinn immediately wished she could take them back. She had just unloaded all of her worries to the boy who had been stuck in a wheelchair for a good portion of his life. His life had probably sucked a whole lot worse than hers, and she fervently prayed that she hadn't offended her friend.

Artie didn't look offended however- just slightly pensive. He quirked his lips slightly at her, and Quinn couldn't really read his expression.

'It was in seventh grade when I thought my life was over." he admitted, and Quinn felt like she had stopped breathing. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she looked over at him. He grimaced at her.

"...Mr. Mellon was our teacher, and our class was having a spelling bee. There were a hundred and fifty-two students in the entire competition, and I somehow ended up in the final ten."

Quinn scrunched her eyebrows, confused.

Artie shook his head morosely. "...I got up to that microphone, and I misspelled in front of all those students, the word 'grammar'. How embarrassing..."

Quinn blinked,.and her face suddenly broke out into a smile. She laughed, and Artie smiled shyly. He tucked his hands lightly on his lap as he watched her own face light up. She really did look much more beautiful when she smiled.

She giggled for several more seconds before wiping away her final tear. She smiled over at him.

"So how did you spell it?"

Artie looked down, a pained expression on his face. "G-A-M-M-A-R"

Quinn burst out laughing again, and Artie's pained expression eventually turned up into a smile. He chuckled along with her.

After she had laughed her heart's content, Quinn looked over at the paraplegic with a grateful look in her eyes.

"Thanks Artie."

Artie shrugged. "Don't mention it." he mumbled, and Quinn smiled at him again.

**III.**

Artie had wheeled into the auditorium to see Quinn already seated in a nearby chair, her legs crossed. He noticed the way her foot jiggled impatiently and the agitated way she kept glancing at her cell phone. She didn't notice he had come in when she gave a frustrated grunt through her teeth.

"Am I interrupting?" Artie asked from the doorway, and Quinn suddenly seemed to notice him there.

"No, it's just... nothing." Quinn shook her head, snapping her phone shut and shoving back into her purse. "Can we just work on the ballad, please?"

Artie rolled over to the stage, where he had left his guitar case earlier in the day. He picked his guitar out of the case and set it lightly on his lap. "If you have somewhere to be, I understand..." Artie sounded concerned.

Quinn's frozen demeanor seemed to melt slightly. "No, that's okay. It's just... all this baby drama." she chuckled humorlessly. "Everyone is just expecting too much of me."

Artie nodded understandably. He tucked his arms under his chin and rested his elbows on top of his guitar, looking over at his blonde ballad partner.

"Well, what exactly are people expecting of you? Maybe I can help you out."

Quinn looked up at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Can you carry a fetus inside your abdomen for a few more months for me then?" she asked with a ghost of a smile.

Artie chuckled. "I meant that I'm a good listener- although I seriously doubt a baby would even _want _to live inside of me."

Quinn gave a small laugh, but it faded away after a second. She looked thoughtful. "Well for starters..." she began, standing up and pacing the floor between her and Artie. "...I have about a million sonogram bills to pay, not to mention doctors' visits. Also, everyone stares at me as if I were human-mutant hybrid, which doesn't help in the slightest." She suddenly stopped and glared at Artie. "-And do you know what my adoptive mother just called me about?" Quinn pointed to her purse, where her phone now sat. Artie shook his head.

Quinn gave a exasperated laugh. "She called because she wants _me_ to come over after school and help her pick out _baby names_...!"

It was Artie's turn to quirk an eyebrow incredulously. "Baby names?"

Quinn nodded. "She claims that she's been waiting _weeks_ for me to give her my top ten names for her," Quinn rubbed her belly. "Says she can't spend every second of her life waiting after me! Can you believe that? As if she's done _anything_ for this baby, or me, over the past few months!"

Quinn angrily flung herself back into her chair, seething. Artie just looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds.

"Did you pick out any names?"

Quinn sighed, calming down slightly. "Yeah, but nowhere near as many as Mrs. Sh- my adoptive mother wants."

Artie nodded slightly. He then set his guitar in place, retrieving his pick from his pocket, and started strumming a few notes. "Can you tell me some of them?"

Quinn looked at him in some surprise. "Uh, aren't we supposed to be working on our ballad...?"

"We will," Artie assured her. "But this takes precedent. C'mon, what are some of the names?"

Quinn blinked. "Uhm... well, Santana and Brittany both wanted the name Roxy..."

Artie strummed some more. "Hmm... 'Roxy'. " He spoke out loud, as if tasting the name on his tongue. "'Roxy'... short for 'Roxanne'?"

"No..." Quinn said, but it was too late. Artie started singing:

_Rox-anne__  
You don't have to turn on the red-light__  
those days are over  
you don't have to sell your body to the night_

Quinn's frown of confusion quickly turned up into a smile when she realized that Artie was finding their ballad at the same time picking out a name. She clapped when he was done.

"So, what do you think of that one?"

Quinn smiled, thinking."Well, I'm not exactly a big fan of The Police. Also, I don't think a song about prostitution is a good basis for a ballad or a baby name."

Artie chuckled. "True," he murmured. "So what other names do you have?"

Quinn thought. "Well... I kind of like the name Sharon."

Artie didn't even pause to think. He began to play:

_Never gonna stop, give it up. Such a dirty mind.  
Always get it up for the touch  
of the younger kind. My my my i yi woo. M M M My Sharona...  
_

Quinn interrupted, laughing. "I said Sharon!Not _Sharona_..." But Quinn didn't care, because she was having too much of a good time.

They chatted and discussed names and sang for about the next hour or so, having a great time. Quinn finally had to leave, saying she should really get going to her adoptive mother's house. Before she left, Quinn gave Artie a friendly kiss on the cheek goodbye, saying thank you for such a wonderful time. When she had left, Artie didn't move from where he was for a long time. He finally brought his hand up and brushed the spot on his cheek where Quinn's lips had been just moments before. He smiled.

**IV.**

Quinn sat by herself on the bus's uncomfortable foam seat, her hands resting lightly on her rapidly expanding belly. The bus began to move, and Quinn closed her eyes. She got carsick so easily lately, and this rickety old bus was no help to her nausea. She took a deep, cleansing breath.

"Hey." someone whispered from behind her. It was Artie.

"Hey." Quinn whispered back, smiling lightly. Artie wheeled up next to her seat. It was the only single seat on the whole bus, other than the driver's, and it was near the front. Artie nestled his wheelchair in the area between her seat and the aisle. He fit perfectly.

Artie asked the obvious. "What are you doing all the way over here, Quinn?" He looked behind his shoulder and noticed all of their glee club friends goofing off toward the back of the bus.

Quinn looked over at her friend, shrugging meekly. "I don't want to be over there right now... after what happened."

Artie gave her a small smile. "You do realize Finn's not on the bus, right?"

Quinn chuckled. "Yes, I do realize that. I just..." she shrugged. "...I just wanted to be myself for a bit, I guess."

Artie nodded, understanding. The hurt shone slightly out of his bespectacled eyes. "I get it. I'll get out of your way," he mumbled. He began to wheel away.

"No, Artie- wait." Quinn insisted desperately. She held him back by his wheel, and he looked over at her.

"I didn't mean it that way. I like your company, really..." Her eyes were wide with worry. "Please stay."

Artie couldn't bear to see her look so hurt. "No, of course." he nodded, and he stayed where he was. "I can stay if you want me to." Artie smiled at her, and Quinn smiled back.

They were silent for several minutes as the trees and the buildings whizzed by outside the windows. Artie looked over at Quinn, and noticed her looking down, a pained expression on her face.

"Quinn, are you all right?" Artie asked, alarmed. Quinn let out a breath, nodding slightly, her eyes squeezed shut.

"I'm fine." Quinn smiled reassuringly at a worried Artie. "I just get a little carsick, that's all."

"Oh..." Artie looked at her thinking. "Is there anything I can do?"

Quinn tilted her head back, pushing her blonde hair out of her face. "There is one thing you can do..." she whispered.

Artie looked at her expectantly.

Quinn turned her head to glance at the boy seated next to her. "Distract me?"

Artie couldn't help but smile at her. "No problem."

Artie and her chatted for most of the bus ride, talking about everything and nothing. They talked about glee and school and funny things they used to do when they were little. Artie would say something, making Quinn laugh, and she would say something too, making him laugh. Sometime during their trip, Quinn's hand had found Artie's, and they held on to each other as their ride continued.

A half-hour in, and Artie thought it would be a good idea to sing to Quinn any song with the word 'Baby' in the title. It made Quinn laugh, and completely forget about her carsickness.

_Baby I'm-a want you__  
Baby I'm-a need you__  
You're the only one I care enough__  
To hurt about  
Maybe I'm-a crazy..._

"-Yes Artie, your-a crazy!" Quinn interrupted his singing. She smacked his arm, and both cracked up.

"Am not!" Artie insisted, smiling down at Quinn's belly. Quinn laughed again, rubbing her swollen stomach. Their laughter eventually faded into silence.

Neither noticed their fingers were still entwined.

"Hey..." Quinn mumbled after a few moments of silence. Artie looked over at her, and she glanced into his eyes.

"...Do you ever wish things were different?"

Artie looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Quinn sighed, looking back down at her belly. "I mean that, well... life hasn't really been fair to either of us, has it?"

Artie didn't say anything.

Quinn continued. "We had our lives all laid out for us, and then everything just took a turn for the worse. Don't you ever wish that things had turned out in your favor?"

Artie looked down at his lap, thinking. He looked back up at his friend.

"I don't believe in having regrets." he whispered. Quinn stared.

Artie kept talking. "Of course, I used to regret everything that happened to me. But then I realized that, well... time spent wishing is time wasted." He shrugged, his eyes never leaving Quinn's.

Quinn stared at him, and Artie looked right back. Both their eyes moved down at the same time, noticing their hands. They were suddenly aware that their fingers interlocked, resting casually on Quinn's lap.

They looked back up at each other, their gaze unwavering. Quinn's lips held a small smile as she finally slipped her fingers out of Artie's grasp. She then wrapped them around his palm and squeezed.

"Thanks for the distractions, Artie." Quinn whispered, her brown eyes shining. Her smile grew wider. "I feel much better now."

Artie looked back down at their hands before glancing up and smiling at her. "Anytime, Quinn." He nodded, bringing his hand back to his lap. "Anytime."


End file.
